Recoverease-a four-way stretch garment or undergarment with an elasticated pocket to comfortably secure and hold medical apparatus or other items close to the body

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a novel garment design for holding, storing or securing items, including but not limited to medical apparatus such as surgical drain tubes, drug dosing systems, and any other items or apparatus in general, close to the body in order to make them unobtrusive, concealable and comfortable to wear.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PROVISIONAL PATENT

This nonprovisional patent application claims benefit of a provisional patent (No. 34/597,890) filed on the 18 Dec. 2018.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of surgical drainage absorption or tubing systems and intravenous and catheterized local drug delivery systems are prolific in surgery and post-surgical recovery. A standard double mastectomy includes four drainage ports and boluses and an antibiotic bolus with two additional entry points to the body, making for 6 entry points and tubes as well as five drain and medicine boluses directly at the extremely painful surgical site.

While there are a handful of garments which are designed to store and carry these devices, they are cumbersome and uncomfortable to wear (utilizing Velcro, sewn seams and other abrasive materials), especially when the wearer spends much of their time in bed as is often the case in surgical recovery. Current designs for mastectomy recovery tops involve material and seams over the breast tissue which must not be compressed to prevent necrosis of the surgical site. Pockets or pouches for drains are worn directly below the breasts placing additional weight on the surgical site which impedes healing. The drainage or pump apparatus including bulbs and tubing are then left to swing and move around the patient's surgical site, creating a need for constant management and a risk of pulling or damage during sleep.

Women recovering from mastectomy surgery are often required to wear both drainage tubes, pain management delivery ports, and catheterized antibiotic delivery systems for several weeks after the operation. Drainage apparatus and antibiotic delivery bulbs are stored in three different sites; two pouches attached below the breasts and a fanny pack worn against the skin which creates tangling and discomfort. Numerous other surgical procedures require similar postoperative apparatus associated with the recovery plans prescribed by surgeons.

It is often necessary for patients to apply and regularly change bandages and gauze over surgical sites. For example, post-operative breast reconstruction and fat grafting procedures are performed on multiple sites including the torso, lower back and buttocks, and limbs, which are left open to drain fluids during multiple weeks of recovery. Bandages are wrapped and taped directly to the patient in order to hold the gauze in place. This results in awkward and often ineffective placement as the bandages invariably slide around and often fall off. There is currently no alternative, which could securely, dynamically and comfortably position the absorbent bandages in place on the torso or other body appendages.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel garment design for holding, storing or securing items, including but not limited to medical apparatus such as surgical drain apparatus, drug administrating systems, and any other items or apparatus in general, close to the body in order to make them unobtrusive, concealable and positionable to wear with patient's regular clothing, stabilizing the apparatus to ensure safety during sleep and other activity.

The garment eliminates risk of pulling, tangling or moving of post-surgical drainage apparatus, port systems, sutures, operational sites or bandages by effectively holding them to the body without the need for specialized clothing, allowing patient to return to normal life in a more comfortable manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

The prior art related to this invention, as well as unpatented commercially available products all incorporate complicated design elements such as clasps, buttons, Velcro, straps, buckles, etc. (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,158,541; 5,496,205; 5,782,670; 6,390,885 B1; 8,733,296 B1; 2006/0173427 A1; 2009/0036023 A1; 9,248,044 B2). The simplicity of the present invention obviates the need for such elements and improves both the ease of use and comfort of the garment as well. Other prior art focuses on the apparatus, monitoring or stabilizing system being affixed to the body, as opposed to the garment itself (e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,266,233 B2; 9,775,520 B2; 10,478,327 B2). The value and uniqueness of present invention intrinsic to the simple combination of basic materials (e.g., elastic fabrics and thread) and their configuration and construction to create a pouch system which can be used to secure post-surgical medical apparatus to the body. While designed for mastectomy recovery, the present invention may be applied to other post-surgical recoveries in myriad applications beyond what is specifically stated herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

We have developed a novel garment or undergarment, which can be worn in order to comfortably secure surgical apparatus close to the body in order to allow easy access to the apparatus, while stored unobtrusively to both the wearer and to their caregivers. The wrap-around pocket allows for total customization of apparatus placement, giving the patient maximum comfort during surgical recovery that other garments do not provide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1—Diagram of the basic parts of the garment: 1. Reinforced bands. 2. An offset pocket entry, 3. A large (20″) wrap-around pocket giving ultimate flexibility of apparatus placement, 4. Antimicrobial 4-way stretch material (entire garment), 5. 4-way stretch elasticated stitching.

FIG. 2—Photograph of the prototype (front view). Offset pocket lip aids in ease of use for patient. Reinforced pocket lip and top band prevent rolling down the body and provides added security to tubing tucked into the pocket.

FIG. 3—Photograph of the prototype (back view). Pocket wraps completely around waist (or other body appendage) ending at either side of patient's spine allowing for maximum flexibility.

FIG. 4—Photograph of the prototype (worn) showing the profile of the form-fitting garment, the reinforced top and pocket containing four JP drains and drainage tubing concealed and comfortably secured about the torso.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” and/or “comprising when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of features, attributes and or techniques are disclosed. Each of this has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed features, attributes or techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the aforementioned in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

Garment design, construction, uses and/or applications are discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

Garment is 12″ long in total coverage of patients torso and can be worn around hips or in any variety of folds per the patient's comfort. Garment is 12″ wide when laid flat.

Garment has a reinforced top 1.5″ in height to prevent rolling of the garment down the torso.

Garment pocket is 20″ wide, wrapping around all but 4″ of surface area on the garment (running along the spine), allowing for maximum flexibility in apparatus placement for the patient. Pocket height is 10″.

Garment has an offset lip of the wrap around pocket 1″ in height to securely hold tubing and boluses within the pocket. This also aids in ease of use as the pocket is easily identifiable and easy to access on the patient's body.

Garment may be constructed of antimicrobial fabric designed to prevent the growth of bacteria and odor from drainage fluids and constant wear. This is distinctly different from the current cotton-blend mastectomy tops worn as a clothing item.

A synthetic elastic fabric blend retains shape for long-wearing security of post-surgical apparatus.

Garment is sewn with elasticated four-way stitching to maximize stretch through the patient's torso as well as through the wrap-around pocket technology.

Garment may be sewn with elasticated thread to increase stretch

Garment's wide-sleeve and seamless pocket enables flexibility in the placement of recovery apparatus while ensuring a secure hold no matter the positioning allowing for maximum patient comfort.

Garment's design allows for all apparatus to be contained within a wide sleeve, eliminating the need for cumbersome pouches with swinging tubing and separate waist packs or fanny packs for pain and antibiotic delivery pumps.

Similar embodiments are also conceivable, which could vary in size, construction or configuration to fit a patient's limbs or other body appendages for similar purposes.

Garment can be worn comfortably for extended periods of time, enabling the patient and caregivers to remove and replace bandages, reposition or work with medical apparatus, within the pocket without necessitating removal of the garment, thus minimizing the aggravation of sensitive areas.

Garment can be made of either fabric or disposable hygienic materials for both multiple use (wash and wear) or single use applications.

While the primary purpose this invention is to meet the needs of patients recovering from surgery, it is conceivable that our invention can be useful in other applications such as to hold tools, money, other implements or devices.

We claim a novel elastic garment with a pouch, which conforms to the body or body appendage in order to hold post-surgical apparatus or other items securely and comfortably enabling greater comfort for the patient:

The garment is characterized uniquely by the following claims; 

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment with a pocket which can be used to hold and secure medical and other apparatus comfortably and unobtrusively close to the body that can be repositioned for comfort.
 2. A garment as in claim 1 which provides easy and ready access to secured items.
 3. A garment as in claim 1 made of elastic material which can be fitted about the torso, arms, legs, head or other appendage, which has an elasticated pouch to secure apparatus to the body.
 4. An elastic garment, as in claim 1, free of abrasive materials, such as Velcro, buttons, snaps, zippers belts or heavy seams, which can irritate the skin when worn close to the body.
 5. Garment is used to contain all post-surgical apparatus including boluses, drains, tubing and bandages in a clean and organized matter without interfering with the patient's body.
 6. Garment, as in claim 5, simplifies post-surgical recovery process by providing storage for all items.
 7. Garment is used for post-surgical drainage catchment by securing absorbent pads close to body when no drainage boluses are being used, i.e. open drainage sites.
 8. Garment, as in claim 1, may be anti-microbial and thusly is repellent to odor and bacterial growth.
 9. Garment, as in claim 1, is one size fits most.
 10. Garment, as in claim 1, is machine washable and/or disposable for single use embodiments.
 11. Garment, as in claim 1, wicks moisture from the body quickly.
 12. Garment, as in claim 5, is worn in place of post-surgical recovery tops and fanny packs or pocketed free-moving storage belts, eliminating their use and allowing patient to return to normal clothing wear directly following mastectomy or any other breast or torso surgery. 